Washington (CNN)  President Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he is willing, if necessary, to use the NAFTA negotiations to make good on his promise for that Mexico will pay for a border wall.

The statement comes as his administration is in the midst of seeking federal funding for his long-promised border wall and also renegotiating the US' trade deal with Canada and Mexico.

"They can pay for it indirectly through NAFTA," Trump said Thursday in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "We make a good deal on NAFTA, and, say, 'I'm going to take a small percentage of that money and it's going toward the wall.' Guess what? Mexico's paying."

Take a small percentage of what money? The U.S. doesn’t trade with Mexico, U.S. companies do. Any benefits from the NAFTA renegotiation will be seen in more business and better profits for U.S. companies due to trade with Mexican companies. Is he saying that he will place a tariff on Mexican imports and use that to pay for the wall?

The US shares a border with a third world shithole, to use the president's words. This is a fact. Mexico's chief exports to the other NAFTA nations are some agricultural products, illegal aliens, drugs, crime, and the products of factories set up to take advantage of cheap labor.

At one point the US depended on Mexico for some oil imports. Right now Canada and the US alone produce over 12 million barrels of oil a day. This combination makes North America north of the Mexican border the largest single crude oil producer on Earth. The US no longer needs Mexican energy.

Canada has a free trade agreement with Chile and imports a lot of agricultural products from there in the winter. The US could easily find another source for Mexican produce. The need for cheap Mexican labor is diminishing by the day and is already politically unpalatable.

The US can do three things about the festering third world shithole on its southern border. It can try to lift Mexico up through trade and investment. It can allow some cheap labor in to the US to ease the strain on Mexico. Or, it can build a wall and let the problem stew on the other side. The first two "solutions" have been tried. They don't work. The only way to stop the southern tier of states from turning into Mexico North is to build a wall, pronto.

We needn’t go that far.All that’s needed is a 25% (or maybe even 33%) tax on all international funds transfers under a certain amount.That would cover 99% of the transfers to Mexico and other Third World cesspools.And at the same time make all transfers over that amount subject to Treasury scrutiny to catch the drug cartels and other crooks.

It will pay by the cutoff of drug money flowing to it; Fewer drug shipments making it to the US means no corrupt dollars back to Mexico.

It will pay by all the Mexicans that cannot cross the border so easily, many remaining in Mexico to burden their society rather than ours, while many return to Mexico voluntarily because the way back & forth is much harder, further burdening the country rather than ours.

The savings from a virtual end of Illegal immigration will pay many times for the wall. Savings in education, health care, & welfare will be HUGE. Let the Mexicans pay those costs. Money saved is as good as money earned.

Without a “Get out of Mexico Free” card - a porous US border, dissatisfied Mexicans might actually fight to end government corruption & criminal activity, to build a better society, rather than running to Uncle Sugar. This will cost Mexico more than wealth alone.

15
posted on 01/12/2018 6:27:41 AM PST
by Mister Da
(The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)

Agreed.A comprehensive,wide ranging trade agreement between the US and Canada would almost certainly be a very good idea...for both countries.

A Fourth World cesspool like Mexico should be of no interest to us,the US.Mexico is our (the US's) enemy in every way but militarily.Of course Canada is free to sign any bilateral agreement with Mexico she wants...but I,for one,would advise against it.

I wonder what the typical Canadian might think about ILLary's (secret) wish to see a hemispheric "Common Market" (my words...I can't recall her exact words) complete with open ports and open borders.

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